The (Not So) Golden Age
by SingingInTheRaiin
Summary: Many years after Arthur became king, Merlin has his own family, a wife and two children, though he prefers to keep them secret in order to protect them from enemies. But that doesn't stop his daughter, Eli, from being whisked back through time to witness one of the biggest mistakes Merlin's ever made. Eli will have to decide where her loyalties lie, and what it means to be family.
1. Chapter 1

Calogran, more commonly known as Cal, was swinging his sword around fiercely. He danced around the dummy as seriously as if it were a real person, even though it was only animated when his father was around to supervise. For safety reasons, his father wouldn't let him spar with a living opponent when there was no one around to watch.

Cal had built up quite a sweat, which made sense considering how hot it was out. It was like the sun had decided to suddenly move a lot closer to the earth. Finished practicing for the day, even though a real knight would probably never stop practicing, Cal sighed and walked back into the house.

It was a rather large place for a family of four, but that was because it had been a gift. While their father continued to be employed by the king, doing so much for the man, his family was in constant danger. That was why, back when Cal was born, his parents had decided that it would be best if they live somewhere outside of the busy city, and his father would just have to commute to work.

But apparently there had been some kind of emergency or something, so Cal's mom had left to go to the city for a fortnight to stay with her husband while everything was worked out. She left Cal with the strict instructions to not leave the grounds for any reason, and to watch over his younger sister, Elizalla, more commonly known as Eli.

Eli was already fifteen, and could easily take care of herself, but their mother was very protective of the girl, and unwilling to let any risk of harm ever be present. She loved Cal just as much, but Cal was nineteen, and he was a strong young man who had proven his worth with a blade more times than he could count. Eli, no matter what she said, would not be able to get herself out of any situation. She had a natural affinity for causing trouble, and more often than not, Cal found himself bailing her out.

But the boy didn't really mind, because he loved Eli, and he had been a faithful older brother to her for as long as anyone in the small family could remember. Eli bounced into the room, but she wasn't able to startle Cal, since the girl had been jumping out at him at every given opportunity since they were just small children.

She grinned regardless, and motioned for her brother to sit down. Eli put down a cup, then carefully poured some cool water in for him. She knew how tiring swordplay could be, since she had seen him go at it often enough. While Cal sipped his water, he tipped back his chair onto the two hind legs, and looked up at Eli.

The younger girl eagerly took the invitation to tell him all about her day. While Cal could still practice swordplay without their parents around, Eli wasn't supposed to practice her art for even a second without supervision. Magic could be dangerous, and Eli understood that as well as anyone.

The girl launched into a mindless chatter about every single thing that had occurred while Cal was out practicing. After a while, there was a knock at the door. Eli stopped midsentence, and peered up at her brother. "I thought Mother won't be back until next week?"

Cal looked equally confused. "That's what she said. And even if she was back early, she wouldn't need to knock." He motioned for Eli to step back, and he carefully drew out his sword, which he still had on him. Cal walked over to the door. "Who's there?"

There was a soft chuckle. "So much mistrust from the children of a man who is an open book." The voice was feminine and pretty sounding. "I'm a friend. I merely wish to talk."

Cal turned back to face his sister, and bit his lip contemplatively. He could ask her to use magic to see whether the person at the door was telling the truth, but she wasn't supposed to use magic when their parents weren't around. Oh well. He turned back to the door. "I'm sorry, but we're really not in any position to be receiving any guests at this time-" The door flew off its hinges, smashing right into Cal and dragging him across the room.

A beautiful woman stormed into the house, and her gaze passed over Cal, and landed on Eli. Eli ran over to try and pry the door off of her brother so he would be able to get up. The woman shook her head. "I don't know what you've been through, you poor girl. To think, that you were raised by vermin, and taught to love vermin. It sickens me how lost you are, but fear not. I promise to help you find your way."

Eli couldn't lift the door, it was too heavy, and she didn't want to use her magic now, and lose her element of surprise. She crossed her arms over her chest. "What are you talking about?"

The woman sighed. "Okay, here's the thing. When I said that I was a friend… yeah… that was a lie. I despise your father more than you could ever possibly imagine. I've been plotting various ways to hurt him for longer than you've even been alive. And then, just when I had given up all hope of ever being able to hurt that vile man, I got word from a little birdy that the most powerful sorcerer in all the lands has one weak spot: his family. So I figured that the easiest way to hurt that demon would be to get to him through his children. So I caused a distraction in the city, and came here."

Eli narrowed her eyes. "You can't hurt us. Our father will stop you-"

The woman laughed. "Oh, dear girl, I'm not here to hurt you. While that might hurt your father, it won't have the same lasting sting that betrayal would. I'm going to hurt that man by letting him watch his daughter join me."

The girl scoffed. "Yeah, right. Like that would ever happen."

The woman shrugged. "There is a very good reason that I detest the mere mention of your father. If you only knew… you would turn against him in a heartbeat. You would be willing to do anything to destroy that man, including turning to the darkness that's within every magical being."

Eli shook her head. "You must be mental. I would never turn against my own father, no matter what he's done."

The woman nodded. "Maybe. If you're so sure, then you wouldn't mind going through this trial anyways, would you?"

Cal spoke up from the floor, where he was starting to regain consciousness. "Don't do anything she says, Eli. She can't be trusted."

The girl sighed. "Why? Because she doesn't like our father? There are probably a million people out there that dislike our father."

Cal shook his head, but Eli ignored him. She wouldn't be able to free him from there unless she was able to keep the witch distracted. The woman shook her head as well, perfectly aware of what was going on. "I'm afraid you're not going to be able to free him. But… for the sake of preserving some sort of bond between us, I'll overlook the fact that he's vermin, just this once, and I'll let him live."

Suddenly, Eli felt strange, like every single drop of blood in her body was vibrating simultaneously. She screeched, and wanted desperately to curse the strange. "Who are you?!"

The woman sighed. "My name is Liviana. I'm only telling you that now so you'll be able to recognize me once you see me." She reached forward to press her hand against the girl's forehead. "You know you don't have to worry. It's all going to be okay, I promise."

Eli screamed as she felt like her entire body was being torn into every imaginable direction. Cal shoved desperately against the heavy door, then shouted at Liviana. "Whatever you're doing to her, just stop it!" There was a thick cloud of smoke building up around Eli, and a moment later, it cleared away, leaving nothing behind. It looked like the girl had never even been standing there. He turned to the sorceress angrily. "What did you do to her?!"

Liviana smiled. "I simply sent your sister somewhere she would be able to learn the truth for herself."

Cal gasped. "Why?"

The woman rolled her eyes. "Because I despise Merlin with every bone in my body, and my revenge won't be the same, until precious little Elizalla feels the same way!"


	2. Chapter 2

Eli blinked slowly, then sat up. She looked around in confusion at her surroundings. She seemed to be in the middle of the woods, and more importantly, she could hardly feel any of her limbs. That could probably be attributed to the several feet of snow that she was lying on.

The girl got to her feet, and tried to assess the situation. The last thing she could remember was that witch, Liviana, doing some kind of strange curse. She must have done something to transport Eli to this cold place. Unfortunately, Eli had just come from her home, where it was practically boiling out, so she wasn't dressed for this kind of weather. She wasn't even wearing any shoes, for crying out loud.

There was the sound of crunching snow getting closer, and it was a smooth noise. Someone in a cart was coming closer. Eli hurried towards the sound, trying to ignore how blue her hands and feet were looking. If the witch had been trying to freeze her to death, then she had practically succeeded.

The cart came into view, but it didn't seem to be slowing down. Eli couldn't help thinking that the driver would have to stop if there was someone standing in the road, so she dashed forward, until she was standing right in the path of the vehicle. The horses reared back, but Eli stood her ground, and the horses were jerked to a halt.

The man sitting on the front seat of the cart glared down at Eli. "What the hell do you think you're…" He trailed off as he noticed just quite how blue the girl was. It was genuinely surprising that she didn't just look like a giant ice cube at this point. The man jumped onto the ground, and walked over to Eli, who didn't even have the energy to shiver. He sighed. "Alright, girl, come on." When she could barely make more than a few clumsy steps forward, despite her earlier sprinting, the man rolled his eyes, and gently scooped the girl up.

Once he had her secure in the cart, he tucked his jacket around her first, and then all of the sacks of grain that he had been in the middle of transporting when some random kid had run out and across the road. He could see that despite their slightly ragged state, the girl was wearing expensive looking clothes. He could only hope that whoever her father was, he would gladly pay out a reward to the person who returned her home safely. But first he would need to get her to the nearest physician.

As they drove along, the man turned to the girl. "I'm Cedric, by the way. Who are you?"

The girl peered up at him. "Eli." She muttered softly.

Cedric nodded. "Well don't you worry, Eli. I'm going to get you home safely, I promise. I just need to bring you to a doctor, so you can get treatment for your frostbite. If you're lucky, you won't have to lose any body parts."

Eli's eyes widened at that. She considered using her magic now, but neither of her parents were around, and she wouldn't want to break one of the few rules that they strictly enforced. Eli was starting to feel very sleepy, and her eyelids drooped shut. It felt pretty warm out, despite all of the snow, and Eli just wanted to take a little nap.

She closed her eyes for just a moment, and the next thing she knew, she was waking up. Eli's entire body felt like she was being stabbed with a thousand pins and needles, over and over again, and it was horribly painful. Eli let out a loud screech, and there was instantly someone by her side.

The stranger spoke in a soft, soothing voice. "Cedric tells me your name is Eli." He paused a moment to let the girl give a slight nod. "Well, Eli, right now, you have severe frostbite. You must have been laying out in the snow for quite a while, dressed this sparsely. Right now, there is a large fire going, and you are tucked into several heavy blankets. My apprentice changed you from your wet garments to some things more suitable for this time of the year. It's a very painful process to defrost your body, and it will probably take a while. You could be left with serious damage to your hands and feet, but we will do everything possible to prevent that from happening. Do you understand?" Eli nodded again. "Good. Now, I want to ask you a few questions, to determine whether or not the cold has affected your mind in any way. What's your name?"

Eli opened her mouth, and even though it still felt numb and awkward, she could respond. "Elizalla. But most people just call me Eli."

The man nodded. "What is the date?"

Eli let out a sigh. "Well, I don't know what's up with all of that snow out there, but

it should be the thirteenth day of the sixth month of the year of the dragon."

The physician made a noise of concern. "You must have suffered more damage from the cold than I originally thought. The last year of the dragon was twenty years ago, and the next one won't be for another thirty years."

Eli frowned. "That can't be possible. It is the year of the dragon, I know it."

The doctor shook his head. "I'm afraid that that's simply not true. And it is obviously not the sixth month, which you can tell just by looking outside. It is the fourth day of the first month of the year of the griffin. That is a fact."

Eli looked lost at that thought. How could it be the year of the griffin? She had never lived through a year of the griffin, and even though she didn't know exactly when, she knew that there wasn't supposed to be another griffin for a while. None of this was making any sense.

A young woman entered the small house, quickly shutting the door behind her to prevent any snow from blowing in. She motioned for the physician to go over to her, and Eli listened carefully to their conversation. The woman spoke first. "The girl looks to be around the same age as my Avavach. Perhaps it would good for her to be around another girl her age?"

The doctor nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, that does sound like it could be helpful. Ask Bran to carry her over to your house. Make sure to keep her very warm."

Eli closed her eyes, tired. Avavach. That was the name of a servant girl from the castle. It was neat that they shared a name. A man knelt next to Eli's bed, and he carefully scooped her up, making sure to keep her cocooned in her blankets. He only took a few steps to get outside, and Eli began shivering. But that was a good thing, because it meant that her body was strong enough to recognize that it was too cold.

He brought her to a house that was only a few spot down from the doctor's resident, and carefully brought her inside and laid her out on a comfortable bed. As Eli was lying there, huddled under her blankets, a face suddenly appeared. The new girl, presumably Avavach, was leaning over Eli, trying to get a good look at her. When she realized that Eli was awake, she smiled politely. "Hi, I'm Ava. What's your name?"

"Eli. Uh… sorry if I've taken your bed from you, or something. You can have it if you want. I mean, I would obviously get up first. I wouldn't want to put you out. Or share a bed with you. Er, not that I'm saying you would be a bad bedmate, it would just be weird. And probably illegal." When Ava didn't do anything other than raise one eyebrow, Eli clamped her lips together.

Then Ava laughed. "Well you're a smooth one. Do you need anything?"

Eli coughed awkwardly. "Some water would be nice." Ava nodded, and she turned away to go fetch the pitcher. That's when Eli noticed that large birthmark on the back of Ava's neck. It looked identical to the one on Avavach, the servant from the castle. But that was impossible, because Avavach had no children, and this girl was still so young.

That, along with the fact that the doctor had insisted that it was the year of the griffin, were what led Eli to just one conclusion. She was really stuck in the past. Ava turned around and was holding a glass of water. She smiled sympathetically when she saw that Eli looked thoroughly shocked. "Here you are." She held out the cup.

Eli reached out with shaky hands to grab the cup, and it took both of her hands to steady it. She raised it carefully, and drank some of the water. It was rather refreshing. Then Eli looked back up at Ava searchingly, trying to see the resemblance. If the birthmark wasn't enough proof, then it was the curly black hair and big brown eyes that would have given it all away.

Eli pushed back her blanket, and sat up. "Hey, can you go fetch the doctor for me? Please?"

Ava nodded. "I'll be right back." She turned and quickly left the small home.

As soon as the girl was gone, Eli looked down at herself. She knew that her

parents had warned her a million times to only use magic on her own if it was an emergency. If being stuck in the past didn't count as an emergency, then Eli didn't know what would.

She closed her eyes, and when she opened them a moment later, Eli's skin was a normal color again, and there didn't seem to be any lasting damage that her magic had been unable to fix. That was a good thing. Eli pushed aside her heavy blankets, and stood up. She shivered as the cold air hit her, but she soldiered on. Staying here could be dangerous, if she was in the past. Eli didn't want to mess up Avavach's future by talking to her too much now.

The girl looked around, and saw that the only exit besides the front door was a window. She went over to the window and pushed it open, then crawled through it. Going headfirst wasn't the best idea though, and Eli ended up tumbling down into the snow. She quickly stood up and brushed the powdery snow off of her borrowed pants. Eli looked over and saw that Ava and the physician were both watching her bemusedly.

Ava tilted her head, and walked over. "Hey, where are you going?" Then she seemed to realize that Eli was no longer tinted blue. Her eyes widened. "You're already recovered? How is that possible?"

Eli shrugged. "Magic, of course." Ava gave her a strange look. "What? If this is about the fact that I was just about ready to leave…"

Ava shook her head. "No, it's not that. It's just… not many feel comfortable admitting that they have magic, even if they are far from Camelot's borders."

Eli shrugged again. "Well, that's hardly important. What is important, however, is that I get to Camelot as soon as possible. There's someone I need to see." Now that Eli was no longer plagued by hypothermia, she could think with a clear mind. And if there was one person in this place that could help her get back to the right time, it would have to be her father. He was the most powerful sorcerer in the lands, after all.

Ava frowned. "Are you sure that's wise?"

Eli narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?"

The other girl sighed. "Magic is illegal in Camelot. If you were to get caught… well, let's just say that it wouldn't end well at all. Who is so important to see that you would be willing to risk your life?"

Eli swore under her breath. She hadn't considered the fact that in this time, Uther still ruled, and the ban against magic was still in place. That meant that just having her parents with her wouldn't be enough for Eli to do magic without getting in trouble. She looked troubled.

Ava sighed sympathetically. "So you came all the way here from who-knows-where just to visit someone in Camelot without even being aware of the fact that magic is illegal there?" She let out a deep breath. "You know, I've been yearning for an adventure lately. Wouldn't it be just awesome if I could come with you to Camelot? You obviously can't use magic to defend yourself, and I could help."

Eli looked up at the other girl for a few minutes before finally shaking her head. She spoke in a firm voice. "No. You are not coming with me. If being a sorceress is illegal, than aiding one is as well, and I wouldn't to be responsible if anything were to happen to you."

Ava laughed. "Yeah, like I would offer to go all the way to Camelot without having any intention of fighting to protect you, even if that's pretty much the only thing I can do besides cook and clean up a little bit around here."

Eli scoffed. "Hey, I'm sure that you have plenty of talents."

Ava crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm going with you to Camelot, and there's nothing that you can do to change my mind."

Eli let out a long sigh. "If there's really nothing I can do to make you change your mind…"

Ava shook her head firmly. "There isn't."

"Then I suppose you should pack a small bag." She paused. "Er… how far away is Camelot from here, exactly?"

Ava laughed. "See? This is why you need me. You probably wouldn't even know what direction to go in. With all this snow on the ground, I'd say that it'll take us about three days to reach the city."

"Alright. You go pack whatever you think is necessary, and I'll just wait out here. Be quick though, it's pretty cold."

Ava nodded, and she hurried back into her house. Eli could hear loud voices coming from inside, shouting over each other. Ava's mother was probably not so eager for her daughter to just pack up and leave. A few minutes later, Ava emerged, a small bag slung over her shoulder. She looked at Eli. "You're going to be awfully cold in that."

Eli rolled her eyes, and a moment later she was wearing a thick fur cloak, much to Ava's astonishment. Eli started walking forward, and she heard the hurried footsteps as Ava hurried to catch up.

The doctor stopped them quickly, to hand Ava a few different potions. He kept giving Eli strange looks, but she ignored them. Everyone was wondering why any sorceress in their right mind would march right into Camelot, a place where they could easily be executed.

The two girls set off, and began walking along the freezing road. Thick dunes of snow would be tossed out of their way with just a small flick of Eli's head. After a while, it started getting dark, and the girls were shivering. Eli glanced at Ava. "We should probably make camp for the night."

Ava shook her head. "It's way too cold. If we go to sleep now, we might not ever wake up." A tent appeared right in front of Ava, large enough for both girls to share. She lifted the flap, and warm air blew out.

Ava stepped inside, and found that it was nice and toasty inside. She glanced back at Eli, who was shrugging off the cloak and making herself comfortable on one of the mattresses. Once they were both settled, Eli blew out the candle. "Good night."

Ava sighed. "If this is what people can do with magic, than no wonder the king is so scared. You could do anything."

Eli didn't respond. She had met a few people in her life who were still scared of magic, but not many. Eli had always been taught that magic wasn't evil, and it wasn't to be feared. It was the people with magic who chose to be good or bad, and it really had nothing to do with the magic at all. Finally, Eli turned, so her back was facing the other girl. "If you're leading me to Camelot just to turn me in for some gold, I wouldn't blame you."

Ava chuckled. "You're so strange. I'm not going to turn you in." She turned so her back was facing Eli, and both girls were just staring at the dark tent walls. "Good night."

Eli closed her eyes. The tent was secure against everything, they were warmer in here than they had been in any house, and Eli was on her way to Camelot. Once she got there, she would be able to ask Merlin for help getting home, and then she would return to her own time, and all of this would be over. Eli could only hope that things would turn out to be that easy.


	3. Chapter 3

Eli looked around with wide eyes as they stepped through the gates and into the bustling city. She had never seen much of Camelot before, despite the fact that the castle was her father's home. Merlin had made sure that no one knew he had a family, but when they went to visit him, they always had to go through an underground tunnel. But it was amazing. There were people everywhere, running around, all with their own destinations in mind.

Ava smiled when she saw the awed look on her traveling companion's face. "You have the look of someone who's never seen the place before."

Eli shrugged. "Well, it looked… different the last time I was here. And I didn't even get a good look at the whole city."

Ava looked around, trying to see the city through Eli's eyes, but she just couldn't imagine how anyone could think of this place as amazing. She looked back at Eli. "So, who are you here to see?"

Eli hesitated, then let out a long sigh. "I don't think… I don't think you would really know him. His name is Merlin, and he's a… servant in the castle. He's actually the personal servant of Ki-... Prince Arthur."

"So we need to get into the castle, then? That should be easy enough."

Eli shook her head. "You can't come in with me. I can get in easily on my own, but if you're there then I have to worry about you too, and besides, this is something I need to do on her own." She nodded firmly. "Yes, that's it. I need to do this on my own."

Ava crossed her arms over her chest. "You do realize that we could just walk in, don't you? I'll request an audience with the king, and if this Merlin is the prince's servant, then he'll have to be there too, and you can pull him aside to talk to him."

Eli frowned. "That's… that actually makes sense." She rolled her eyes. "Very well then, we shall go with your plan."

Ava nodded. "Good. Now stay here." She turned and strode away, towards the castle, and Eli stayed where she was. She tried to watch Ava's progress, but it was impossible to spot one person once they had blended in with the crowd. Eli looked up after a bit, and saw that it had been at least an hour since Ava had gone off.

Just when Eli was thinking that she would be better off trying to sneak in after all, someone tapped on her shoulder, causing Eli to spin around in surprise. She relaxed when she saw that it was just Ava, then raised one eyebrow. "Well? How did it go?"

Ava grinned. "I've got an audience with the king for tomorrow afternoon. You just have to make it one more day, and then you can find this guy who's apparently super important."

Eli smiled gratefully. "You are a gift. But how did you get an audience. I thought that Uther wasn't the type of king to just see every person that wants to talk to him."

Ava shrugged. "I said that I'm here on behalf of my village. You know, that place that we just left a few days ago? I said that all of the snow has crushed our homes, and that we need help to rebuild, and we need food and shelter until things are made better. It's not even a lie. We have lost several homes already, and it's been awful. But none of us thought it wise to make the trek all the way here, since Uther isn't technically our king. He probably won't help, but at least I've gotten our feet through the door, right? For now, we need to find a place to stay for the night. Using your tent in the middle of the city is probably not wise, no offense."

Eli nodded. She reached into her pocket, and Ava heard jangling. Then Eli pulled out her closed fist, and when she opened it, there was a small stack of gold coins sitting on her palm. She grinned at Ava. "I don't think I would be able to handle staying in some stables just because we've got no money. I can only stay in the finest inn there is."

Ava chuckled, but she looked a little concerned. "Is that really such a good idea? You don't want to stand out around here. If anyone catches you…"

Eli shrugged. "I promise that there's literally no one in this city that knows me other than you. It simply wouldn't be possible. So we might as well stay in good conditions, right?" She tilted her head. "And if the king does refuse to help your village, allow me to. As thanks for all your help."

Ava raised one eyebrow. "How could you he-" She cut herself off. "Oh, right. You're talents." She smiled. "You're the one who's a gift. What a miracle that you landed among us."

The two girls walked towards what Ava insisted was the best inn in the entire city. If nobles passed through Camelot, but weren't staying at the castle, then this is where they would stay. As they got closer, Ava glanced down at her clothes. She was definitely not dressed well enough to be able to fit in at somewhere this nice. It would probably look more like they had stolen the money.

Eli noticed Ava's concern, and suddenly yanked her away from the main road, pulling her out behind a small house. She closed her eyes, and Ava looked down in shock, as she was now wearing very fine clothes, befitting of a rich noble, or maybe even a princess. Eli was wearing similar attire, and she had a very regal air about her, something that Ava would never be capable of achieving.

They stepped away, not noticing the wide eyes that had been staring at the pair in surprise. Eli pulled Ava back around to the road, and swept into the inn. She strode confidently over to the man behind the front desk, and once she was at the desk, she paused and glanced back. That's when Ava noticed the tear tracks on Eli's face, smudging makeup that she hadn't been wearing before.

She sniffled a few times for effect, and whatever it was that Eli was trying to accomplish, Ava had no doubt that she would succeed. Eli turned back to the attendant, who was looking at her with concern. "What's wrong, my lady?"

Eli sighed. "We were just on our way to Camelot for important business involving the trade routes. My father had advised me to wait and accompany him next week, but I insisted on going as soon as possible in order to get this messy business resolved. Well… I certainly didn't foresee that bandits would attack us." Her shoulders shook a little. "They took everything from me! They rode away with my carriage, which held all of our bags and supplies." She took a shuddering breath before continuing. "We only got away with our lives because of my maid here. She threw a rock in the opposite direction to make it sound like there was someone there, and then we ran into the woods."

The man hurried out from behind his desk, and Ava watched as he took in their appearences. Ava glanced down, and saw that the beautiful clothing was torn and muddy at the bottom, and neither girl was wearing any shoes. "Oh my…" He shook his head. "I wouldn't be doing my duty as a gentleman if I didn't accompany you to share this story with the guards."

Elii looked up at the man from under her eyelashes, and she slumped forward, like she just couldn't hold the weight of all her burdens on her delicate shoulders. She looked like a tragic heroine, or maybe a wilting rose. She sighed. "Sir, that it indeed kind of you, but I must decline. You see, for those bandits to steal from me means that they have need of all those supplies. Perhaps they have families to feed, or just their own hungry bellies. Either way, it would be wrong for me to pursue them." She reached her hand into a pocket in her fancy skirt. "How could I have forgotten? Before we left on our journey, I sewed a small pouch of gold into my skirts, just in case anything bad like this were to occur." She fluttered her teary eyelashes a few times. "How much to stay for just the night?"

The man sighed. "If your father is truly coming this week, then he can pay the debt for you. I wouldn't feel right taking the last of your gold from your pockets."

Eli's cheeks flushed, and she smiled in relief. "Oh thank you, kind sir. When my father hears of this, your good deed will not go unrewarded."

The man nodded. "It is an honor to help a lady such as yourself. Here, let me show you to your room." He started walking down the hallway, and Eli turned to gesture for Ava to follow. They stopped at a door that the man unlocked, then handed Eli the key. "Please, enjoy your stay. Try not to think too much about what's happened."

Eli nodded, and went into the room. Once Ava was inside as well, she closed the door, then turned to face her friend with a grin on her face. "So? What did you think?"

Ava blinked a few times. "That… was… brilliant! You are amazing." She plopped down onto the bed. "So are you going to tell my why this Merlin guy is so important?"

Eli shook her head. "No, I don't think so. For one, he'd probably prefer it if not everyone knew his business. And two, I seriously doubt that you would believe me, even if I were to tell you. It's kind of a long story."

Ava rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She reclined back, resting her head against her arms. She peered up at Eli. "You're one of the strangest people I've ever met before. A miracle, for sure, but strange. No matter what happens tomorrow, I'm glad to have met you."

Eli looked over at Ava, an uneasy feeling rolling through her stomach. "What's that supposed to mean? What's going to happen tomorrow?"

Ava rolled onto her side, making space for Eli on the large bed. She shrugged. "I don't know. But if the king thinks you just snuck into his castle dishonestly, he certainly won't be happy. With either of us." She sighed. "This Merlin guy… he must be really special for you to go through so much trouble just to see him." Her voice sounded suggestive.

Eli frowned in disgust. This was her father that they were talking about. "Ew, no! I mean, he's important to me, but not like that!"

Ava smirked, and Eli knew that, even if the other girl was facing away. "Well, how would I know one way or another if you refuse to tell me anything?"

Eli sighed. "Well… he's family. I can tell you that much. Just… don't tell anyone else, alright?"

Ava nodded. "If it's really that big of a secret, then I promise that I won't say anything, alright?" She sighed softly. "Goodnight, Eli."

Year of the Dragon

Cal struggled against the ropes that were binding his hands to the back of the chair, but it was fruitless. And he had the feeling that even if he were able to grab a blade, he wouldn't be able to cut through the fibers. Liviana obviously had magic, so there was no reason to think that she wouldn't have enchanted the ropes.

There was a loud crash out in the hallway, and Cal strained against the chair, to no avail. There were several more crashes, and then Liviana danced into the room. She sighed contentedly. "You know, there's only about six more days until Merlin and Meridian return home. Then they'll be in for a surprise."

Cal sighed, and decided to try and talk to her for what felt like the hundredth time. "Please, why are you doing this?"

Liviana scowled. "You may be a little too young to understand, Cal. But your father has wronged me in a way that he can never undo. So the next best thing is to make his life a living hell."

"But why involve Eli? She's innocent. She has nothing to do with any of this."

Liviana shrugged. "I already told you that it is not my intention to harm your sister. I simply need her help in ruining Merlin's life. Having his own daughter turn against him is a rather fitting punishment, considering what the crime was."

Cal let out a sound of exasperation. "What exactly was the crime?"

Liviana cackled, and didn't say anything else. Instead, she skipped over to the dressed, and grabbed a small inkwell. She dipped the pen in the black ink, then grabbed Cal's chin with one hand to hold his face still while she drew a large twirling mustache above his lips.


	4. Chapter 4

Eli yawned and sat up. She glanced behind herself at where Ava was lying, and had to refrain from snickering at the unkempt hair. Eli's own hair maintenance was pretty simple, since it involved wishing that it would look better, and then watching as it looked better. Magic may not be permitted in Camelot at this time, but what the people didn't see wasn't going to harm them.

Eli decided to let Ava sleep in, since they didn't need to be at the castle until after noon, and it wasn't even midmorning yet. She got up, and went over to the window. It had a lovely view of the castle, and even this early in the morning, there was plenty of activity up there.

Eli startled when there was a light knock at the door. She quickly used magic to toss some blankets over Ava, since even she knew that servants would not be allowed to share a bed with their master. Then she walked over to the door, and opened it. The man who owned the inn was standing there, holding a gleaming silver tray. He presented it with a flourish. "My lady. I thought that you would appreciate some breakfast."

The girl smiled gratefully, and bowed her head for a moment. "Oh, your generosity is just too much. I'll be certain that Father rewards you justly. Please, do tell me your name."

The man grinned. "I am known as Gregory. I do hope that your father's arrival is wrought with more success than your own." He stepped inside the room and placed the tray down on the table. "Please enjoy your meal. I shall take my leave at this time." He left, closing the door behind him.

Eli stared down at the food with a disdainful look. Surely that garbage wasn't considered fit for the rich nobles, right? Ava groaned and sat up, her hair sticking out in every direction. She blinked sleepily before sniffing the air a few times. "I smelled something good."

Eli gestured to the tray. "Eat up. You'll need your strength to talk to the king, and then to make the journey back to your village."

Ava stood up and stretched, then walked over to the table. She frowned when she saw that there were no bites missing from the food. "Aren't you going to have any?"

Eli shook her head. "That stuff is rather… unappealing to me. I'll wait until I've gotten my hands on something good." Actually, she just needed to wait until Ava wasn't looking, so that she could magically summon some food that was actually befitting a person of her class. But Ava didn't need to know that part.

Ava shook her head at Eli, thinking the sorceress was crazy. It was perfectly good food that was better than anything Ava had had before in her life. It just made Ava wonder, about what kind of background Eli had for her to have such picky tastes. She'd been found in fancy clothes in the first place, and now Ava was even more sure that Eli was not only new to Camelot, she was a complete stranger to Albion in general. Or at least, that's what it seemed like.

Once Ava finished eating, the two girls left the room. They went to leave the inn, and saw that there was no one sitting at the desk. Eli shrugged, and dropped the key down onto the counter. Then she grabbed Ava's arm, and pulled her out. They began walking, seemingly towards the castle. Ava tugged Eli to a halt. "Wait. I can't go in there dressed like this. I just need to look like a normal peasant."

Eli nodded, and looked around to find a suitable place for them to change without getting caught. She pulled Ava behind a small house, and blinked. Now both girls were dressed in normal drabby peasant clothes, and Ava immediately missed the comfort of the nicer set, even if they had been slightly ruined.

Ava laughed as Eli eagerly continued towards the castle. "Hey, I said _after_ noon, remember? We can't just go marching in there this early in the morning. We need to find something else to do for a while."

Eli rolled her eyes. "I don't remember it ever being so difficult to get into the castle." She muttered under her breath. In Eli's time, Eli and Cal and Meridian had always been snuck in through the back, but they did see plenty of what went on in the castle. Arthur always kept the front doors open during the day, so anyone could wander in when they wanted to, and do whatever it is they were there to do. There was even an entire hallway full of just mattresses covered in fresh blankets, as a place for people to sleep for a few nights if they had nowhere else to go. Eli doubted that Uther would have the same courtesies towards his subjects.

Eli had never actually met the man herself, but she had heard plenty of stories. Arthur was the godfather of both Eli and Cal, even if no one outside of their immediate families knew it. So whenever the siblings visited their father, which they tried to do as often as possible, they spent as much time with Arthur as they could. Of course, he was still a king, and as such, had many duties to oversee, and Merlin wanted some of their time as well, since they were his children. But between Arthur and Merlin, Eli had a very good idea about the kind of person that Uther had been, and it wasn't a very pretty picture.

But what was going to be didn't really matter. The only important things were what was happening right now, in the year of the griffin, and if Uther was an unfriendly bastard who hated all things magic, then Eli was just going to have to adapt. She sighed. "Alright. Well, what's something we can do to entertain ourselves for the day?" Then an idea popped into her head.

Even though the subject was rather sore, and therefore rarely spoken of, Eli knew that Arthur had once courted a woman named Guinevere. She had never really thought about it before, but now that she had the opportunity, Eli wanted to meet the woman that had somehow managed to steal the mighty King Arthur's heart.

She turned to Ava, and tilted her head. "Hey, so I know this is a long shot, and you probably don't really know much about the inhabitants of Camelot, but… where's the nearest place to find information?"

Ava pointed to a building behind her friend. "Probably a tavern. There's one right over there."

Eli hurried over to the tavern, and pushed the door open. She didn't even wait, or check to see if Ava was still following. Ava followed, so maybe Eli knew what she was doing. Inside, it was noisy and crowded. Everyone was talking over each other, and laughing merrily.

Eli grinned, finding that the good cheer of the tavern felt rather contagious. She practically skipped over to the woman walking around, balancing a tray of large cups. Eli politely cleared her throat to catch the woman's attention, and then had to shout over the din of the room. "Excuse me!" The woman turned, and tilted her head down to look at Eli. "Do you know where I can find a young woman named Guinevere?"

The woman raised one eyebrow, and held out one hand. "Maybe… but my memory's not always so great. The clink of coins, though, that has often been known to jog a few things up there."

Eli rolled her eyes, but reached into her pocket to pull out some money. It wasn't like she could ever run out, and she wasn't interested in starting a fight. She pulled out three gold coins, and set them down on the waiting palm.

The woman looked down, but if she was surprised by the ragged kid in front of her having so much money, she didn't show it. "Yeah, I know Guinevere. She's the late blacksmith's daughter, right? She lives a few streets down, little house, gold curtains."

Eli smiled. "Thanks!" Then she turned and hurried outside, pulling Ava out with her. Once outside, she looked at her friend with confusion. "Aren't pubs and taverns supposed to fill up after nightfall?"

Ava shrugged. "When times are especially tough, or especially prosperous, men need a place to sit around and drink and brag and avoid doing their work for a day. I'm sure that no one's complaining, though, as long as the men have enough money to back their drinks." Then she looked around as they walked. "Where are we going, anyways?" She shivered, since her thin peasant clothes really weren't very good protection against the cold. Ava just felt grateful that Camelot didn't seem to have much snow plaguing it right now, the way it was her village.

Eli laughed. "We're just heading to meet up with a woman. Her name is Guinevere. Apparently she's the former blacksmith's daughter."

They walked until they arrived at the little house with the gold curtains. Eli felt a strange sensation in her stomach, meaning that she was nervous. Her eyes lit up, though, as she knocked on the door. What if she could change the future in a good way? She could change things, and make it so Guinevere never cheats on Arthur, and then Eli's godfather would get to have his happy ending.

The door opened a moment later, and a pretty young woman was standing there, with curly brown hair, dark skin, and deep brown eyes. Eli smiled. "Guinevere?"

The woman nodded, though the change in her posture showed that she was wary. She must have had some bad visitors recently. "Yes. Who are you?"

Eli stuck out one hand. "My name is Eli. Well, Elizalla, really, but everyone just calls me Eli. Even my own parents don't call me Elizalla. Well, I think that on official papers and such they must, because just writing a nickname on an important document would be weird. And probably illegal." She shook her head. "But I digress. I'm here because I need a sword. Like a really good one? Maybe the best one that your father ever made in his life."

Guinevere frowned. "I'm sorry, but I don't-"

Eli held up a hefty bag that was jangling as she lifted it. "I can pay you."

Guinevere grabbed Eli's arm, and tugged her inside. Ava followed automatically, and watched as the woman slammed the door shut behind her. Guinevere put her hands on her hips. "Okay, why would a sorceress need a sword?"

Eli's eyes widened. "What… what are you talking about? Me? A sorcerer? That's crazy. Just plain weird. And obviously illegal. I can't believe that you would make such an accusation-"

Guinevere cut her off mid sentence. "I saw you. Last night, when your peasant clothes changed to noble clothes in less time than it would take me to blink. So I repeat, why would a sorceress need a sword?"

Ava was looking around for some way to escape. This situation could only get worse. But instead of acting worried, Eli laughed a little bit. "Okay, so that's not exactly the real reason that I'm here." She shrugged. "Okay… so not at all. But I really would have paid any price you asked for for your best sword. Even if I don't really need one. At least not right now." She turned to look at Ava. "Unless you want a sword?"

Ava shook her head, and spoke in a shaky voice. "Um… no thanks. I'm good." She gulped. If this woman decided to turn them in, then Ava would be brought down with Eli, and they would both be in a lot of trouble.

Eli shrugged, and turned back to Guinevere. "Okay, so you're probably wondering what the heck a sorceress needs with a sword, right? Well, I have to say that that is an excellent question. The truth is," She lowered her voice so the other two had to lean closer to hear her. "...the truth is, well, I sometimes have visions of the future. When I try to fight these visions, bad things always happen, so I've learned to just go along with them. Well, my most recent vision was one of you, and also Prince Arthur."

Guinevere's eyes widened, and she gasped sharply. The girl had to be telling the truth, because there was no other way that she could know that Arthur was courting a common servant girl. If this girl told anybody, then Gwen would be the one in trouble. She gulped. "So… why exactly have you come here? And why would you trust me to know about your… magic?"

Eli sighed. "I trust you because other than one little mistake, you are generally a very trustworthy person. Or at least that's what I've seen in my visions. As to why I'm here… It's about you and Arthur. I don't know if you'll believe me or not, but I know for a fact that Arthur loves you more than anything in the world. You are his happiness, and he would do anything for you. Not many people are lucky enough to find that in their lives, so just… just don't mess it up, okay?"

Gwen sighed, and sat down heavily in one of the chairs sitting around the table. She shook her head. "Why would you tell me this? What do you gain?"

Eli shrugged, looking a little confused herself. "I'm not really sure, if I'm being honest. I just… I know that someday Arthur will have a family, but it won't be a biological one, because he would never want to have a family with anyone other than you."

Gwen peered up at Eli. "I thought you said that trying to go against your visions always made bad things happen? If that's the future that you've already seen, then doesn't that mean that it's too late to change things?"

Eli shrugged, and sat down next to Gwen. "Changing the future… it's a lot harder than people would think. Just knowing what's to come doesn't mean that you can make it happen differently. But even if it is rather difficult, and in general time doesn't want to change it's ways, sometimes it's worth it to try, even if it is a difficult battle." She sighed. "All you really need to take out of this conversation is that if you care about Arthur, then you need to fight for him, no matter what. If you just keep that in mind, then I promise, everything will work out."

Gwen sighed. "I think that my life has just reached the peak of absolute craziness."

Eli shrugged. "That's alright. Things are supposed to get crazy. But if they get better in the end, then it was all worth it."

Ava looked nervously at the older woman. "So you're not going to turn in Eli to the king?"

Gwen hesitated, then shook her head. "No… I suppose not. And it's not even just because of the fact that you could get me in equally deep trouble. I just… No matter what Uther says, I'll never believe that all magic is evil. Don't make me regret this."

Eli stood and headed over to the door. "Oh, don't worry." She said over her shoulder. "You won't regret this, I promise." Then she left the small house, with Ava following quickly behind her. They had an audience with the king, and it wouldn't do for them to be late.


	5. Chapter 5

They stepped inside the large stone castle, and a guard beckoned for the two girls to follow him to the throne room. That's where Ava would be able to meet the king, and explain her problem. It's also where Eli would have to find an excuse to leave, so that she would be able to go and find Merlin. Even if he wasn't openly a sorcerer at this point in time, he still had plenty of magic that would be able to help her.

Once they got to the throne room, Eli jerked to a halt, a pained look on her face. She peered up at the tall guard with embarrassment written all over her. She spoke in a soft voice. "I know that this is all rather important, but I really have to… _go_." She stressed the last word so the guard would know exactly what she meant.

He grimaced, not wanting to hear about it. "Well, you can find your way back out, right? Because I really can't let someone go to the throne room on their own."

Eli sighed, then nodded. She glanced at Ava. "I don't want to interrupt your

meeting, since this is so important. I'll meet you outside when you're done?" Ava nodded, and watched Eli hurry off, back the way they had come.

Once Eli turned the corner, she looked around, trying to orient herself. In her time, Merlin's chambers were actually where the prince had resided when he was a child. Once Arthur had officially moved into the king's rooms, Merlin's had moved into the prince's. That meant that Eli had no idea where to go to find Merlin in this time.

Finally, she decided that she may as well go to the prince's room. If Merlin was Arthur's servant, then it was likely she would find him there. Eli quickly made her way to the prince's chambers, making sure to peer out cautiously from behind corners. Then she realized that she could walk around easily if she was a servant. Gwen was a servant here, so no one would question her presence.

Eli imagined every detail of Gwen's face, then closed her eyes. A moment later, she looked identical to the woman. Eli walked confidently towards Arthur's room. When she arrived, she knocked on the door, and didn't hear anyone answer. Eli took a deep breath, and pushed the door open.

She looked inside, and thought she saw movement coming from behind the

screen. If that was Arthur, then Eli couldn't let herself get caught like this. He would most likely know the difference between his true love and an imposter.

The screen was suddenly pulled back, and Eli jumped back, ready to fight or run away. Her eyes widened when she saw who it was, and he came to a sudden stop. Eli was staring at him in awe. Merlin looked so young, hardly older than Cal, and he was carrying a basket of dirty laundry.

He furrowed his eyebrows. "I thought you were down in the throne room."

Eli gulped, and it took her a moment to remember that she looked like Gwen. Eli shrugged. "I needed to find you. It's rather urgent."

Merlin stepped closer. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

Eli nodded. "Yeah, I just-" She froze as Merlin's eyes flashed gold, and she couldn't move at all.

Merlin put down the clothes, and walked closer. "I know you're not Guinevere, so who are you, and why are you here?"

Eli found that she could control her mouth again. "What are you talking about, Merlin? It's me!" Then she squeezed her eyes shut, and considered her options. While she did need to talk to Merlin and ask for his help, he probably wasn't going to trust her now. Even if Merlin was powerful, he wasn't as powerful in this time as he was in Eli's, and she had a chance of defeating him. But fighting her own father would be taxing, and she wanted to avoid that if she could.

Merlin shook his head. "Who are you?"

Eli sighed, and she struggled until she was able to pull away from Merlin's magic. He took a few steps back in surprise, and Eli took the opportunity to look like herself again, even if she didn't cut the most impressive figure. It wasn't like Merlin looked all that impressive at the moment.

She let out a deep breath. "My name is Eli. I need your help."

The servant looked Eli over searchingly, but he seemed to be satisfied with what he found, because he nodded. "Alright, but we can't talk here. That would be much too dangerous." He picked up the basket again. "Follow me." Merlin led Eli through the castle, to his room.

They went inside, and Eli saw an old man resting with his head down on a workbench, various herbs and plants scattered all around. She looked around the room with interest. So this was what a court physician's room looked like in these times.

Merlin impatiently motioned for her to hurry up, and to be quiet. As she walked forward, the man sighed, and shifted in his sleep. Eli hurried, and Merlin closed the door behind her once she was in his room. He put his hands on his hips. "Alright. So why exactly do you need my help? I saw you back there. You were using magic, weren't you?"

Eli nodded agreeably. "Yeah, that was magic." Then she shook her head. "Wait, no, nevermind. It couldn't be magic, because that would be weird. And illegal. There's no way I would ever do something illegal like doing magic. It just wouldn't be right."

Merlin rolled his eyes. "Well, I can definitely see how you would need help of some kind. I just don't think that that's the kind of thing I can be of any assistance with."

Eli rolled her eyes as well. "I'm being serious right now. I really need your help. I was just at home, minding my own business, when a sorceress barged into my home and the next thing I knew, I was waking up near here. I need you to help me get back home. Please."

Merlin crossed his arms over his chest. "How did you even know that I have magic?"

Eli hadn't thought that far. She couldn't just say she was from the future, because that would probably mess with the timeline far more than anything else she had done so far. Besides, if she did tell him, and Merlin didn't believe her, then Eli would be out of luck, and she would be forced to leave.

She sighed. "I know a lot of things about you." Merlin raised one eyebrow, inviting her to continue. "I know that you're the last living Dragonlord. I know that you're the most powerful sorcerer in all of Albion, probably the world. I know that you are also known as Emrys. I know that it's your destiny to see Arthur become a great king, and for magic to be returned to Camelot. I know that you learned about your destiny from a dragon named Kilgharrah."

Merlin held up his hands for Eli to stop, and she did. He looked at her cautiously. "How do you know all of these things? Who are you?"

"I told you, my name is Eli. I know all of those things because... " Eli quickly tried to think of an excuse that could be believable. It had to be something that Merlin would understand, but Eli didn't know which of his trials he had already faced. She decided to just go for something that was actually the truth. Well, it wasn't how she knew those things, those were all things that she had heard in various stories from Merlin and Arthur. But it was a reason that she knew a lot of other things. "The Crystal Cave." It felt strange to say the words, since Merlin had long ago explained to Eli that she should never speak of the place.

Merlin tilted his head. "What about it?"

Eli slouched a little bit, since Merlin seemed less wary, and therefore less likely to try and curse her. "When I was a baby, less than a year old, my father brought me all the way to the Crystal Cave. He already knew by then that I had magic, and he wanted to see my destiny. But when we were there, my father saw nothing, while too many images to even count flashed before my eyes. I can't remember those things whenever I want, I was too little when I first saw them, but when I see something from one of those visions, I will see the rest of the vision. When I arrived in Camelot, no thanks to that evil sorceress, a vision about you is what I saw."

Merlin frowned. "Why would your father think he could see anything from those crystals? And the fact that you were able to see means that you must have a lot of power."

Eli shrugged. "It's… well… my father was only trying to do what he thought was best. But that's all beyond the point. The point is that I know a lot about certain things, if they have to do with one of those visions. And I know that you could help me get back home."

The servant sighed, and sat down on the edge of his bed. "So… if you're not from Camelot, then where are you from? I've never seen anyone do magic without their eyes flashing gold for a moment."

The girl sat down next to him. "Where I live… it's a place called the Ambrosian Meadow. It's… pretty isolated, so you've probably never heard of it. But I have absolutely no way of getting home from here without any help. And the thing with my eyes… they've never glowed." She tilted her head thoughtfully. "Actually, my dad mentioned in passing once that they glowed when I was a baby. But he also said that they haven't glowed even once since Ai… since a friend visited me." She shrugged. "I prefer it this way. It's a lot easier to just do casual magic without getting caught. Believe me, discovering that magic is illegal around here came as quite a shock."

Merlin stood up and began pacing across the small room. "I know what you mean. It is rather… dangerous for people like us." He sighed. "I really do want to help you, Eli, but I have no idea how. I don't even know the name of the sorceress who cursed you."

"Liviana." Eli helpfully supplied. "Have you ever heard of her?"

Merlin shook his head. "I'm afraid not. And without knowing exactly what spell she used, I'm not really sure how much help I'll be." He turned to look at Eli. "But I will try. There's got to be something around here that'll help. I'll try and get you home as soon as possible." A curious look crossed his face. "So… what is the Ambrosian Meadow like?"

Eli smiled. "Well for one thing, it's pretty big for the number of people that live there. But I do know that things are way different than they are here. I bet that witch attacked us out of revenge. My father seems to have a strange way of making just as many enemies as friends."

Merlin chuckled softly. "What does he do, exactly?"

It felt nice to talk about her home, even if it did remind Eli of just how much she missed the place. "He's the court sorcerer."

Merlin's eyes widened. "So I take it that magic is not only allowed, it's actually appreciated?"

Eli nodded. "Yeah. I mean, there's always going to be those that are afraid of magic, but that type of person is slowly becoming extinct. But for the most part, people respect magic, and they understand that 'there is no evil in sorcery, only in the hearts of men'. That's something that my father says all the time. Or at least, as far as I know. I don't really get to see him as often as I would like to. Since he has so many dangerous enemies, he resides in the castle while me and my brother and mother live outside the crown city."

Merlin shrugged. "Well, at least you do know your father, right? Not everyone can say that." He looked closely at Eli, waiting to see if she already knew what he was going to say.

Eli nodded. "You mean because you had always been told that your father was dead, and then when you finally met him, he was killed?"

Merlin nodded, still looking surprised at Eli's knowledge. That was actually something that Merlin had never told her. It was another one of those things that she just knew, which meant that it could have to do with the cave, or it could just have to do with her intuition or something. "Yeah."

The door to Merlin's room suddenly swung open, and the old man from before walked in. "Merlin, I need-" He paused when he saw Eli sitting carefully on the bed. He frowned slightly. "Sorry, I didn't realize that you had company."

Eli stood up, and reached out one hand, a pleasant smile on her face. "Hi, I'm Eli."

The man accepted the offered handshake. "I'm Gaius, the court physician. Is there something you need help with?"

Eli glanced at Merlin. If this Gaius was the court physician, then that meant he was the man who trained Merlin, right? But she wouldn't want to bring up magic and cause trouble if this guy actually had no idea who Merlin was. She focused on Gaius. "Actually, I was hoping that Merlin would be able to help me out."

Gaius looked back and forth between the two. Eli tried to stare at the old man as inconspicuously as possible, but nothing happened. It made sense. The Crystal Cave was meant to show the future, so it couldn't have shown her the past. But then again, if going into the past was fated to be Eli's future, then maybe she would have some visions here.

Finally, Gaius cleared his throat. He beckoned for Merlin to follow him, and Eli quickly followed. She pressed her ear to the door to hear what was going on on the other side. Gaius sounded suspicious. "So… who is this Eli, and what does she expect you to do in the way of helping her?"

Merlin sighed, and spoke quietly. "Gaius… she's like me. She needs my help, and if I really can do anything to get her back home, then she'll no longer be here, where she risks exposure just by being here at all. I have to help, Gaius."

The old man sighed. "Merlin, you know how dangerous it is to harbor a sorceress-"

"I know, but she's different. I mean, I've met plenty of other sorcerers before in my life, but trust me when I say that she's special. You do trust me, don't you, Gaius?"

The old man rolled his eyes. "Of course I trust you, Merlin. But how am I supposed to trust that girl who I don't even know."

"I trust her, so that should be enough for you, right?"

Gaius sighed again. "Alright, Merlin. But promise me you'll be careful?"

Merlin nodded. "Of course, Gaius. When am I not careful?"

Eli grinned to herself. Merlin was going to help her get home, and then everything would go back to the way that it used to be.


	6. Chapter 6

Despite Eli saying it was unnecessary, Merlin insisted on walking her to the front door, where she needed to meet up with Ava before the other girl got worried. Once they were outside, they both stood there awkwardly. Eli cleared her throat. "Uh… thanks. For saying that you'll help me, I mean. You didn't have to do that. You could have chosen to just turn me in or something, and I'm grateful that you didn't decide to do that."

Merlin smiled. "It would be awfully hypocritical of me to do something like that, wouldn't it? People like us have to stand up for each other. I'll try and find out whatever I can about this LIviana, and in the meantime, you should probably lie low. If you're caught…"

Eli shrugged. "Oh, don't worry, I wouldn't turn you in."

The servant shook his head. "No, that's not what I was going to say. Just be careful, alright?"

Eli nodded, then turned to walk towards Ava. They both looked each other over carefully, neither able to read the other's face. Finally, Ava sighed. "It's not like I was really expecting anything to come of this anyways. It's a good thing that I didn't let myself get my hopes up."

Eli shrugged. "Well, like I said before, if the king can't help you, then I will. I found Merlin, and I think that things are going to work out alright, but it'll take him a few days to find what we need, so hopefully if I'm off adventuring with you, my mind won't be completely focused on whether or not he was successful."

Ava smiled. "Well, I'm glad that at least one of us found what we were looking for."

Eli nodded. "We should leave now. The sooner we can get back to your village, the sooner I can fix things up, and everyone will be happy."

Ava frowned a little. "You seem very eager to get me back home. You better not be planning on ditching me once you've done your thing. You already said that you'll need to come back, and I'll be coming back with you."

Eli looked at her friend pleadingly. "Oh, come on! You can't just keep following me around like this! You need to stay in your own village, and be with your own family and friends. There's nothing for you in this city, and besides that, it would technically be illegal for you to live here, since you're not from Camelot."

Ava crossed her arms over her chest. "Have I done something to offend you?" Eli shook her head. "Then why are you so insistent that I stay while you return? You'd have to walk, by yourself, through all of that snow, and it could could be dangerous."

Eli groaned. "That's exactly the point. It could be dangerous, and you could get hurt. Me, I can protect myself easily enough, but I don't want to be constantly worrying about you, and I don't want to be the one held responsible if you were to get hurt. Your life is in your village, so there's no reason to change that now."

Ava began walking away. "You know, I'm pretty sure that I'm older than you. Which means I'm old enough to make my own decisions, even if that does involve accompanying you back to Camelot." Eli rolled her eyes, but hurried to catch up. She wasn't good enough with directions to find her way back to the village from here.

The further away the two girls got from Camelot, the more snow there was. When it started to get dark, Eli was happy to whip out her nice little tent, and both stepped inside. It was as comfortably warm as it had been last time, and Ava settled on the mattress that she had unofficially declared to be hers.

She sighed, and rolled over so that she was facing Eli. "Is the danger really the only reason that you're so against me accompanying you?"

Eli hesitated, then nodded. She couldn't exactly explain that she was afraid of destroying Ava's future by hanging out with her too much here in the past. "I'm sorry, Ava, but in the… short time that we've known each other, you've already proven yourself to be an amazing friend, and I don't want to put you in danger. You're committing treason just by knowing what I really am, and that's not fair to you at all. So you have to stay in your village. It's for your own sake."

Ava scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous. It's my life, and I'll do with it whatever I want. If that happens to be staying with you in Camelot, then so be it. What are you going to do about it? Put a curse on me?"

Eli sighed. "Don't be melodramatic, you know that I wouldn't put a curse on you. Even if sometimes maybe I wish that I wasn't such a high moraled person. It would certainly make it a lot easier to deal with you." She turned away. "Goodnight, Ava."

"Goodnight, Eli."

They trudged through the snow, though Ava had to admit that it was a lot easier with Eli clearing the path whenever she could, and finally returned to Ava's little village. Ava ran forward with a distressed cry, and it only took Eli a moment to spot the giant snow drift sitting where Ava's house had been.

Someone came outside at the sound, and laughed with relief when they spotted Ava. The doctor ran forward. "Avavach! You have returned safely!" After they hugged, the physician raised one eyebrow. "How did your meeting with the king go?"

Ava shook her head. "That asshole said he can't help us because we're 'too far out of his kingdom'. Which is utter bull, since we're less than a hundred kilometres away. There's no one closer to Camelot than us, other than the people actually in Camelot. But don't worry. Eli has agreed to help us."

The man looked over at the bored girl, then back at Ava. "How is she going to help us? Is she commanding some army that we were unaware of?"

Ava laughed. "Don't be ridiculous. It's better than that. She's got magic, and it's not like it's illegal out here, or anything. She's going to help." Then Ava looked over at her own home with a sad sigh. "Is my mother okay?"

The doctor nodded. "Yes. She was in my place, helping me with a frostbite patient, when your home collapsed." His jaw dropped suddenly, and Ava turned to see what had shocked him so badly. Eli was standing there, her back facing the pair of villagers, her arms raised up over her head in a lazy fashion. She was hardly moving them, and she wasn't saying anything, but the large drifts of snow were being shoved back, away from the buildings.

Once all of the snow was cleared, the broken buildings straightened up and repaired themselves, softly creaking as cracked walls became whole, and warped wood was flattened out.

Ava and the physician just stood there and watched. Even after she had seen Eli do all kinds of magic during the week, it had never been anything quite this large. It was an incredible sight to watch. It looked so right, so natural, for Eli to be standing there, commanding to very forces of nature to cater to her whims.

By the time Eli lowered her arms, the entire village looked as if it were brand new, and there was only a light dusting of snow on the ground. Ava glanced up, trying to see if it was still snowing at all, and she gasped. High above the village, there was some kind of invisible window. All of the snow landed on top, and immediately disappeared.

Ava hurried over to Eli. She pointed up at the sky. "What did you do?"

Eli shrugged. "I made a large heat shield around the village borders, and obviously up above. It will automatically heat up any snow that hits it so much that the snow disappears into a tiny puff of steam, too small to see. But don't worry, it won't do any harm to the villagers."

Ava pulled Eli into a tight hug, and laughed. "Oh, Eli, you're a god-send! A gift to our people! I don't know what we've done to deserve you, but we're all more grateful than you could ever possibly imagine!"

Eli smiled. "I'm just glad that I can help. You've been a great friend these past few days, Ava, and even though we hardly know each other, I always felt that you had my back covered. So thanks for that. Oh, and for the whole, nursing-me-back-to-health thing. That was pretty cool too."

Ava rolled her eyes. "You're so ridiculous. I didn't do anything to help you, you just healed yourself. And you've already proven that you can already take care of yourself. I was really rather useless." She hesitated. "And… I can see now that I really would only drag you down, or get myself killed. So if you really think that it's for the best for me to stay here, then I will."

Eli gulped a few times. "Uh... " She sighed. "I really am sorry, Ava. But I do truly believe that this is what's best for you. I want to be able to know that my only friend around here is safe. People like you are hard to come by, and…" She grinned slyly. "I hope you never change." Her grin morphed into a genuine smile. "Besides, I'm sure you'll be back in Camelot someday before you even know it. In fact, you'll probably find yourself in the castle."

Ava raised one eyebrow. "That's… odd. Are you suggesting that I'm going to suddenly turn into a royal or a noble? Because that seems highly unlikely to me. Or are you just trying to say that I'll be petitioning the king many more times, despite the fact that that would make me look like an idiot, since you've already fixed this whole place up."

Eli shrugged. "I'm not trying to suggest anything. I'm simply saying that I wouldn't be surprised if I were to find you there someday." She stopped, unsure of how much of the future she could give away before accidentally giving away herself. She leaned forward and lowered her voice conspiratorially. "By the way… if you ever meet a girl in the castle who has the same name as me, Elizalla, you should be extra nice to her. If you sneak her a cookie on her seventh birthday, then you'll find yourself in a very good position. Trust me, I've seen it all happen."

Ava's eyes widened. "You mean in a vision?"

Eli nodded. "Of sorts." She sighed. "I should probably be heading back to Camelot now. I need to try and figure out the answer to… my little problem… as quickly as possible. Otherwise, things could get pretty awkward."

Ava sighed, and hugged Eli once more before stepping back. "Hey, be careful. Watch yourself. Even if you are powerful, you could still be outnumbered, or cornered, or ambushed."

Eli nodded. "I know, I know. But don't let it slip your mind that I am indeed capable of taking care of myself in almost any situation that could realistically happen any time soon."

Eli started to walk away, and Ava sighed. "Hey, Eli?" The girl paused. "Just… I hope that you find everything you were looking for. And even if you don't… you'll always have a place here."

Eli smiled to herself, and kept walking. She didn't want to turn around, because then she might be tempted to just stay, but she couldn't do that. Eli didn't want to risk Ava's future just because of a selfish whim. Besides, her family in her own time were the ones she really wanted to get back to, more than anything.

Someday, Ava, who was just a servant in the castle, would probably be surprised to find herself sneak attack hugged by a frequent visitor to the castle. They might even become friends, if Ava could remember what Eli had asked of her. That was a future to look forward to, and Merlin was the only person who could help her get that.


End file.
